I'd Always Been There
by TakeHeart
Summary: [Oneshot] A Christmasy ficlet. Tired of these yet? Sasuke x Hinata. [SasuHina]


A/N: A **SasuHina** X'mas gift ficlet for **Ladii-Chocolate**, who has been—is—a great friend and has showered me with so much love I can't help but feel giddy from all of it. dx

Inspired by **_George Michael's_** _Last Christmas_. No. Don'tlisten to thesong while reading this fic. Trust me, it's not fitting. At all. My mind works in weird and mysterious ways. :P

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_**- I'd Always Been There-  
**Sasuke x Hinata  
for Ladii_

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She was given away on Christmas Eve, with two small boxes of luggage and a marriage contract. As she stood there on the doorstep of the building with cracked walls and peeled paint, she couldn't help but feel lonely and frightened and cold; not even the thick clothing she had worn could provide her with warmth and comfort.

When the door sprang open, nearly hitting her nose, tears were streaming down her face and she was hiccuping quite badly. He looked at her then; once, twice, noticing her misery and feeling the waves of fear rippling through her.

Leaving the door ajar, he turned around, stuffed his hands in his pockets, went back inside his dwellings, and left her alone.

He was shivering slightly from the chilly winds that blew through the entrance when she finally made her way in. With his back facing her and yet aware that she was looking at him; probably like a lost kitten, he pointed to the room to his right and sidestepped her to close the front door.

It wasn't necessary to look at her again. He had seen enough of her for the day.

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Taking in deep breaths for courage to face the unexpected, the ex-Hyuuga heiress took in her surroundings: a bed with white sheets and fluffy pillows at a corner where the windows were, a table lamp on a small oak table with a chair of the same material, a wardrobe, and a celling fan.

The room was spotless, everything looked clean and tidy and cozy and... homely. Hinata cringed at the thought and bit her bottom lip in response.

Bracing herself once more, she set the two boxes that she cradled in her arms on the white-tiled floor. Taking out her belongings, Hinata then proceeded to place them where she thought would look good, taking delight in decorating her room which she would most likely be occupying for the rest of her life.

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The next few days seemed to fly past Hinata and she passed her eighteenth birthday in silence. The only thing she could remember doing was staring at the paper-coloured walls in her room. She was still trying to get comfortable in her new home when the snow melted and spring arrived.

Sasuke and her had developed a routine: he would be the first to arise and go for his morning training. When he returned home, the breakfast she had made would be lain out for him, and then she would head to the hospital for her duties as a medic-nin. The clearing of the dishes were left to him before he leaves for the ANBU meeting. They handled both lunch and dinner on their own, and often came back near mid-night.

But there were other, thoughtful things they did for one another, something out of their routine. Like when she woke him up and comforted him when she heard his screams from a nightmare through the walls. And when he stayed by her side the whole night when she had failed to save a patient.

Even so, they were only husband-and-wife in name; only a thin sheet of paper held this bond. In truth, they were almost strangers living together under one roof.

To say their relationship was complicated would be an understatement. Their marriage had been arranged when Sasuke's parents were still alive.

He had accepted this arrangement without hesitation when Hiashi had proposed it; a wife would be needed to rebuild his clan, and why bother looking for a female when one was just shoved into you?

She had accepted this arrangement without complaints when Hiashi had proposed it; nothing she said would ever change it, and she was taught from birth to do everything for the sake of the clan—in this case meaning to give up the heiress position to the more worthy Hanabi.

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Spring turned into Summer, but everything stayed the same. Few words were exchanged between them, and their lives carried on in the same manner they had been before.

Until one night when she came back from a hectic day to find the house in a mess: stools toppled over, drawers wide opened, scrolls and papers everywhere.

Hinata had cried then, without knowing the reason why.

Her eyes were still puffy and sore when the Hokage informed the still-depressed Kunoichi that Sasuke had gone off on a S-ranked mission.

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Christmas was drawing near again, the streets lighted up on this festive season, people were busy buying gifts for their beloved, families decorated their homes together.

On Christmas Eve, Hinata purchased a fir tree and put it in a blank corner of the living room. Pulling out streamers and lights and ornaments from a box that she bought along with the tree, Hinata began decorating it with utmost care and devotion.

The Styrofoam star with golden sparkles stared down at her an hour later, and tears welled up in her eyes unconsciously when she gazed at it.

She wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit. Not even when she had went about setting up a Christmas tree.

She was alone.

The audible click in the keyhole startled her. But she had never heard a sweeter sound.

He walked in, all broken and bloody but never more so grateful to be back home. Hinata went to the kitchen wordlessly and came back with a pail of water and her aid-kit.

"I killed him..." he started, pausing as she took off his blood-soaked shirt. "together... with my whole team."

She was bandaging his chest now, and blushed fervently when she felt his eyes on her, seemingly to be boring through her skull. When she was done and was about to leave, Sasuke caught her hand and pulled her into his arms, ignoring the sharp pain to his wound.

"He's dead," he stated, even though it sounded more like a question to her.

A nod was her only reply, as her chest was too tight and her lungs seemed about to burst.

"I'm alive."

She buried her head deeper into his chest, resting her head on the bandages.

There was no need for words; they understood that they needed each other that moment.

It was snowing outside and she had forgotten to start the fire and he was half naked while she was in her sleeping attire.

Yet, they had never felt warmer.

The grandfather clock opposite the glistering star chimed twelve times before they broke apart from the embrace.

"Merry Christmas," they breathed, lips inches apart from each others'.

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-You Just Didn't Realise It-


End file.
